Metal parts attracting holder

ABSTRACT

A metal parts attracting holder is made up of a case, a cover and a permanent magnet. The case includes a bottom wall, a top wall and a side wall connecting the bottom wall and the top wall to each other. The cover is removably attached to the case. The permanent magnet is provided within the case. The top wall of the case has an attracting surface to which metal parts are attached by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. The cover is formed with a recess with which the bottom wall is engaged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a metal parts attracting holder for holding e.g. needles such as sewing needles or dress pins or other metal parts using magnetic force of magnets.

2. Description of the Related Art

Needles such as sewing needles or dress pins are often stored as stuck on a pin cushion filled with stuffing. In addition to such pin cushions, holders are also proposed that are configured to hold metal parts such as sewing needles using magnetic force of magnets (see Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3101736 for example). Such holders using magnets allow a plurality of metal sewing needles or the like to be held strongly.

In sewing, it may sometimes be necessary to use different types of sewing needles or dress pins. In such a case, a plurality of holders may be used to hold the needles as grouped by the type of the needles. Arranging a plurality of holders each holding one type of needles side by side on a table for example allows the user to quickly pick up a necessary needle.

Disadvantageously, arranging a plurality of holders side by side when they are not in use occupies a large space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been proposed in view of these circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide a metal parts attracting holder with improved usability.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a metal parts attracting holder that is made up of: a case including a bottom wall, a top wall and a side wall connecting the bottom wall and the top wall to each other; a cover removably attached to the case; and a permanent magnet provided within the case. The top wall has an attracting surface to which a metal part is attached by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. The cover is formed with a recess with which the bottom wall is engaged.

Preferably, the cover includes a ceiling portion and a skirt portion formed integral with the ceiling portion, where the ceiling portion is configured to cover the top wall with a gap present between the ceiling portion and the top wall, and the skirt portion is configured to cover a part of the side wall. The recess is provided in the ceiling portion.

Preferably, the recess extends circularly in plan view, so as to form a closed circle. The ceiling portion is formed with an inner ridge and an outer ridge that flank the recess in plan view. The bottom wall is provided with a bulge that is brought into engagement with the recess.

Preferably, each of the recess and the bulge is formed by a curved surface in cross-sectional view.

Preferably, the skirt portion has an inner surface formed with an engagement projection, and the side wall has an outer surface formed with an engagement groove with which the engagement projection is engaged.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of metal parts attracting holder in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the metal parts attaching holder shown in FIG. 1, with a cover detached from a main body;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main body;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines V-V in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 illustrates the metal parts attaching holder in a cross section corresponding to FIG. 4, with the cover attached to the main body;

FIG. 7 illustrates the metal parts attaching holder in a cross section corresponding to FIG. 5, with the cover attached to the main body;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an example of use of the metal parts attracting holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating a plurality of metal parts attracting holders of FIG. 1 in a stacked state;

FIG. 10 illustrates another example of use of the metal parts attracting holder shown in FIG. 1 in a cross section corresponding to FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 illustrates another example of use of the metal parts attracting holder shown in FIG. 1 in a cross section corresponding to FIG. 5; and

FIG. 12 illustrates another example of use of the metal parts attracting holder shown in FIG. 1 in a cross section corresponding to FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1-7 show an example of metal parts attracting holder in accordance with the present invention. The metal parts attracting holder A of this embodiment includes a main body 1 and a cover 2 attachable to the main body 1. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the metal parts attracting holder A, with the cover 2 attached to the main body 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the metal parts attaching holder A, with the cover 2 detached from the main body 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main body 1.

As shown in FIGS. 4-7, the main body 1 includes a case 10, a magnetic member 14, and permanent magnets 15 and 16. The case 10 includes a lower case member 11 and an upper case member 12 assembled together to define a hollow space, in which the magnetic member 14 and the permanent magnets 15 and 16 are arranged. The case 10 (the lower case member 11 and the upper case member 12) may be made of a synthetic resin having a certain strength. The lower case member 11 and the upper case member 12 are integrally bonded together by e.g. ultrasonic welding or bonding using an adhesive. The case 10 is generally elliptical in plan view (the diameter in the direction x shown in FIGS. 1-3 is longer than that in the direction y).

As shown in FIGS. 4-7, the lower case member 11 includes a bottom wall 111, a circumferential wall 112, and projections 113 and 114. The bottom wall 111 is generally elliptical in plan view. The circumferential wall 112 extends upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 111. The projections 113 and 114 project upward on the inner side of the circumferential wall 112. The projections 113 and 114 differ from each other in height. The projections 113 are provided for supporting the magnetic member 14 disposed thereon. The projections 114 are provided for restricting the displacement of the magnetic member 14 and permanent magnets 15, 16.

The bottom wall 111 of the lower case member 11 is formed with a bulge 111 a. The bulge 111 a projects to be lower than the surrounding portions and is annular (generally elliptical in this embodiment) as viewed in the height direction of the main body 1 (i.e., in the direction z from the bottom wall 111 toward a top wall 121). The bulge 111 a is configured to be received in a recess 201 formed at the upper surface of the cover 2, which will be described later.

The upper case member 12 includes a top wall 121, a circumferential wall 122, and projections 123 and 124. The top wall 121 is generally elliptical in plan view. The circumferential wall 122 extends downward from the peripheral edge of the top wall 121. The projections 123 and 124 project downward on the inner side of the circumferential wall 122. The projections 123 and 124 are provided for restricting the displacement of the permanent magnets 15 and 16. The projections 124 are provided at locations corresponding to the projections 114 of the lower case member 11.

Attracting surfaces 125 and 126 spaced apart from each other in the direction x are defined in the upper surface of the top wall 121. The attracting surfaces 125 and 126 are at locations corresponding to the permanent magnets 15 and 16, respectively. Specifically, the attracting surfaces 125 and 126 overlap the permanent magnets 15 and 16, respectively, as viewed in the height direction of the main body 1 (direction z). In this embodiment, the direction x and the direction z are perpendicular to each other.

The upper surface of the top wall 121 is formed with a groove 127 extending between the attracting surfaces 125 and 126 in the direction y (i.e., the direction perpendicular to both of the direction z and the direction x). As better shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in this embodiment, the groove 127 is generally arcuate in cross section and extends substantially through the entire dimension of the top wall 121 in the direction y. The shape of the groove 127 is not limited to the arcuate cross section, and other suitable shapes may be employed.

The circumferential wall 122 is formed, at predetermined locations, with extensions 128 projecting outward from its lower end. Further, in this embodiment, the circumferential surface of the case 10 is formed with an engagement groove 17 at the portion where the lower case member 11 and the upper case member 12 are bonded together. The functions of the extensions 128 and engagement groove 17 are described later.

The magnetic member 14 is provided for preventing the magnetic field of the permanent magnets 15 and 16 disposed on its upper surface from spreading downward. The magnetic member 14 may be a thin plate made a ferromagnetic material such as ion or iron-based alloy and rectangular as viewed in plan. The magnetic member 14 may be made of a ferromagnetic material other than iron.

The permanent magnets 15 and 16 are disposed on the upper surface of the magnetic member 14 and spaced apart from each other in the direction x. For example, the permanent magnets 15 and 16 are in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped having a relatively small thickness and may comprise ferrite magnet. The permanent magnets 15 and 16 are held by the projections 113, 114, 123 and 124 at appropriate positions within the case 10.

The cover 2 is configured to fit to the upper portion of the main body 1. The cover 2 includes a ceiling portion 20 that is an upper portion of the cover 2, and a skirt portion 21. The ceiling portion 20 is generally elliptical in plan view. The skirt portion 21 extends generally downward from the periphery of the ceiling portion 20.

When the cover 2 is attached to the main body 1, the ceiling portion 20 covers the top wall 121 of the main body 1 with a predetermined gap interposed therebetween in the height direction of the main body 1 (direction z). The ceiling portion 20 includes a recess 201, an inner ridge 202 and an outer ridge 203. The recess 201 is formed at the upper surface of the ceiling portion 20 and annular (generally elliptical in this embodiment) as viewed in the height direction of the main body 1 (direction z). The inner ridge 202 is a raised portion positioned on the inner side of the recess 201 as viewed in the height direction of the main body 1 (direction z). The outer ridge 203 is a raised portion portioned on the outer side of the recess 201 as viewed in the height direction of the main body 1.

As better shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the vertical cross section containing the central axis Ox extending in the vertical direction (direction z), the recess 201 has a curved contour. As described above, the bulge 111 a at the bottom wall 111 of the main body 1 is configured to be received in the recess 201. In this regard, the bulge 111 a also has a curved contour in the vertical cross section containing the central axis Ox. The shape of the bulge 111 a in this vertical cross section generally conforms to that of the recess 201.

When the cover 2 is attached to the main body 1, the skirt portion 21 covers almost the entirety of the circumferential wall 112 and a part of the circumferential wall 122 of the main body 1 in a direction perpendicular to the height direction (direction z) of the main body 1. (That is, the cover 2 covers a part of the side of the main body 1.) The skirt portion 21 has an inner circumferential surface formed with a plurality of engagement projections 211. The engagement projections 211 are configured to engage with the engagement groove 17 of the main body 1. The lower edge of the skirt portion 21 has cutout portions 212 that are retreated upward. When the cover 2 is attached to the main body 1, the extensions 128 of the main body 1 are received in the cutout portions 212, whereby the posture of the cover 2 in the attached state is maintained. Further, when the cover 2 is attached, the engagement projections 211 of the cover 2 engage with the engagement groove 17 of the main body 1.

The cover 2 having the above-described structure may be made of a synthetic resin having a certain strength as a single unit.

The use and advantages of the metal parts attracting holder A having the above-described structure are described below with reference to FIGS. 8-12.

In use of the metal parts attracting holder A, as shown in FIG. 8, just putting the metal parts N such as sewing needles or dress pins on the top wall 121 of the main body 1 causes the metal parts N to be instantaneously attracted to and held on the attracting surfaces 125, 126 due the magnetic force of the permanent magnets 15 and 16 contained in the main body 1. Due to the arrangement of the two permanent magnets 15 and 16, all the metal parts N lie across the groove 127 and generally in parallel to a line connecting the two permanent magnets 15 and 16 to each other. Moreover, since the groove 127 is provided, the user can easily pick up a desired metal part or metal parts N with fingers.

A plurality of metal parts attracting holders A may be used to hold different types of metal parts N as classified. As described above, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the cover 2 is formed with a recess 201 for receiving the bulge 111 a of the bottom wall 111 of the main body 1. Thus, after the cover 2 of each metal parts attracting holder A is attached to the main body 1, the bottom wall 111 of the main body 1 may be fitted onto the cover 2 of another metal parts attracting holder A such that the bulge 111 a is received in the recess 201. In this way, when not in use, the plurality of metal parts attracting holders A can be stacked for storage. Stacking the metal parts attracting holders A prevents a large space from being occupied by the holders, which enhances the usability.

As described above, the recess 201 of the cover 2 is annular as viewed in the height direction (direction z), and the ceiling portion 20 has the inner ridge 202 raised upward on the inner side of the recess 201 and the outer ridge 203 raised upward on the outer side of the recess 201. As described above, the bottom wall 111 of the main body 1 has the bulge 111 a projecting downward and configured to be received in the recess 201 of the cover 2. With this arrangement, when the annular bulge 111 a is received in the recess 201, movement of the bulge 111 a is constrained by the inner ridge 202 and the outer ridge 203 positioned on the inner side and the outer side, respectively, of the bulge 111 a. This allows the metal parts attracting holders A to be stacked in a stable manner. Moreover, this embodiment in which the bulge 111 a is elliptical effectively prevents the rotation about the central axis Ox.

As described above, the cover 2 has the ceiling portion 20 and skirt portion 21 extending generally downward from the periphery of the ceiling portion 20. This arrangement makes it possible to use the metal parts attracting holder A, with the main body 1 placed on the ceiling portion 20 of the cover 2, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 for example. When the main body 1 is placed on the cover 2, the attracting surfaces 125 and 126 of the main body 1 are positioned higher than in the state shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 for example, which may be sometimes convenient for the user. For example, when the metal parts attracting holder A is used for a sewing work using a sewing machine, placing the main body 1 on the cover 2 makes the height of the attracting surfaces 125 and 126 closer to the height of the sewing table of the sewing machine than in the state shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, which may enhance the usability. In the state shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 again, the bulge 111 a (bottom wall 111) of the main body 1 is received in the recess 201 of the cover 2, so that the main body 1 is stably held on the cover 2.

As shown in FIG. 12, with the cover 2 attached to the main body 1, metal parts N such as clips may be placed on the ceiling portion 20 of the cover 2 to be held on the ceiling portion 20 due to the magnetic force of the permanent magnets 15 and 16 in the main body 1. As described above, the recess 201 in this embodiment has a curved contour in the vertical cross section containing the central axis Ox extending in the vertical direction (direction z), and the bulge 111 a has a curved contour conforming to the recess 201 when received in the recess 201. With this arrangement, when slid to the recess 201, the metal part N placed on the ceiling portion 20 inclines to conform to the curved contour of the recess 201, as indicated by the hypothetical line in FIG. 12, which allows the user to easily pick up the metal part N with fingers.

As described above, the inner circumferential surface of the skirt portion 21 has engagement projections 211, whereas the outer circumferential surface of the main body 1 has the engagement groove 17 for engagement with the engagement projections 211. This arrangement prevents unintentional detachment of the cover 2 from the main body 1.

Having thus described the embodiments of the present invention, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The specific structure of each part of the metal parts attracting holder according to the present invention can be varied in many ways without departing from the spirit of the prevent invention. 

1. A metal parts attracting holder comprising: a case including a bottom wall, a top wall and a side wall connecting the bottom wall and the top wall to each other; a cover removably attached to the case; and a permanent magnet provided within the case, wherein the top wall has an attracting surface to which a metal part is attached by magnetic force of the permanent magnet, and the cover is formed with a recess with which the bottom wall is engaged.
 2. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the cover includes a ceiling portion and a skirt portion formed integral with the ceiling portion, the ceiling portion configured to cover the top wall with a gap present between the ceiling portion and the top wall, the skirt portion configured to cover a part of the side wall, and the recess is provided in the ceiling portion.
 3. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the recess extends circularly in plan view, the ceiling portion is formed with an inner ridge and an outer ridge that flank the recess in plan view, and the bottom wall is provided with a bulge that is brought into engagement with the recess.
 4. The holder according to claim 3, wherein each of the recess and the bulge is formed by a curved surface in cross-sectional view.
 5. The holder according to claim 2, wherein the skirt portion has an inner surface formed with an engagement projection, and the side wall has an outer surface formed with an engagement groove with which the engagement projection is engaged. 